Brian Kim: Teach kids time management

Speaking of other skills that can be utilized in any job and career is time management. The majority of students never really learn to value their time and mange it while in school. Procrastination is all too rampant (studying right before class, doing homework and essays the day it’s due, partying the night before the exam). This lack of time management often carries over into adulthood, which becomes a major liability.

Learn to make a to do list. Learn to prioritize. Learn to break things down into 30 minute blocks of time. Learn about actionable items. David Allen’s GTD system is your best friend here along with Dan Kennedy’s No B.S Time Management. Again if you’re unfamiliar with these people, Google is your best friend, but I’m sure the majority of readers will know what I’m talking about.

What would you add to the list of skills you think should be taught in school?

This reminds me of a class I took in high school. It was probably called "Life Skills" or something along those lines. One of the exercises we engaged in was designed to teach us about how the stock market worked. We picked stocks, "bought" them from an imaginary $500 bank account, and tracked their progress over the course of the semester.

At the time I found it only mildly interesting. I was uninterested in anything having to do with business or economics. However, the exercise did plant a seed somewhere in my brain. Later in life many of the lessons I learned from that exercise bubbled back up to the surface of my consciousness.

My point is merely that not everything taught to the young and disinterested is not wasted effort. Sometimes learning takes place later, when enough pieces of the puzzle drop into place to trigger understanding.

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